Claiming it has reinvented the fork, a Montreal-based kitchen equipment outfitter is taking orders for its new brand of cutlery that shoots a variety of smells into a diner’s nostrils.

The Aromafork is being touted as the latest advancement in molecular gastronomy — a brand of cookery previously reserved for advanced cooks with a background in chemistry. But the Montreal firm Molecule-R Flavours — dubbed “the Betty Crocker of molecular gastronomy” by one blogger — is bent on making the craft accessible to average home cooks.

The new fork has garnered the attention of international media, using a toolkit of ear-droppers and tiny sheets of paper to deliver vapourized aromas ranging from banana to truffle.

Users put a drop of liquefied aroma on specialized paper inside a small indent at the base of the tines, and the fork diffuses vapour to “trick your mind and change the way you perceive flavours.”

“Nobody teaches us to properly taste,” read a statement earlier this month, revealing the new cutlery technology.

“Our taste buds can only recognize five primary tastes,” say the inventors, “while your nose is capable of distinguishing the subtle flavours of food as aromas reach the back of your palette.”

According to the manufacturer, the fork doubles the flavours that the human brain can analyze. The $58 set comes with four forks and 21 different viles of “volatile flavouring,” including chocolate, passion fruit olive oil, lychee and smoke. An aroma spoon is also on offer, with both products scheduled to be shipped to pre-sale customers starting in June.

Molecule-R Flavours Inc. has been selling “do-it-yourself” molecular gastronomy kits and cookbooks since 2009. Its president, entrepreneur Jonathan Coutu, said the new fork is meant to be used as a tool to “learn how to better appreciate food.”

“The idea behind the Aromafork came to me during a wine and food pairing class,” Mr. Coutu told FastCompany.com earlier this month. “I immediately thought of a device that would provide a flow of aroma.”